In underground mining, free moving machines and vehicles are usually moved either on wheels or by crawlers. Bigger scale mobile mining machines, however, are too large and too heavy to be moved on one single crawler. Due to the length of such a machine, several crawlers are required and machine wagons are supported on these crawlers. The wagons are mechanically interconnected, like a conventional train. In contrast to a conventional train, however, the crawlers are not moving on tracks so they can not simply be pulled by a locomotive. Instead, every crawler has to be equipped with an individual power source to provide the moving power. Furthermore, each crawler has to be equipped with an individual side steering using crawler belts having individual movement capabilities to move the wagon sideways.
In respect of a previously known existing solution, each wagon or train unit has to be controlled individually by manual means, e.g. by a person issuing manual control commands for thrust and direction to each vehicle. This leads to slow and unsecure operation.
A method of steering a continuous haulage apparatus having mutually interconnected units is described in WO0230792. However this method is disadvantageous in that it requires a quite complex structure of the apparatus. Furthermore, for automated control, it requires sweeping sensors such as laser scanners on either side of each train unit. The scans from the laser scanners need to be fusioned in a very computing intense manner. This is difficult and expensive to perform in real time on a machine taking into account safety requirements that have to be followed.
Another example of the background art is U.S. Pat. No. 5,999,865. The system according to this document i.a. comprises a storage device containing a set of interlinking nodes that represent at least one path through passageways, and a processor for comparing distance of the sidewalls of the passageways and the interlinking nodes for steering and instructing the vehicle to operate.
Aim and Most Important Features of the Invention
It is an aim of the invention to provide a method and a system for maneuvering a mobile mining machine that at least addresses the problems of the background art and in particular is more economically operated and is more reliable.
These aims are obtained through a method and a system as indicated above through the features of the independent claims.
The term “maneuvering” is here is intended to include: navigating, steering and maneuvering.
The inventive method of maneuvering a mobile mining machine including two or more self steered and optionally self propelled interconnected units being connected as train units over a respective articulating joint in a tunnel following mode thus includes:                producing a set of first signals representative of sideward (lateral) distances between at least one side of the mobile mining machine and a respective nearby wall of said tunnel, and        evaluating said set of first signals so as to determine a sideways position of the mobile mining machine in respect of the walls of said tunnel during driving and        producing steering commands to be sent to a propulsion arrangement in order to maintain a position of the mobile mining machine to ensure clearance to tunnel walls during driving.        
Hereby, especially the side steering of a train of mechanically interconnected crawler units can be synchronized with the controlled movement (driving in both forward and backward directions) of the overall train. This is otherwise a big challenge in solutions according to the background art, which suffers from the problems especially associated with the directional steering having to take account on the crawlers being mechanically interconnected by the wagons, resulting in different steering behaviour and speed of each individual crawler during driving, especially in the curves. It has been found that the quite personnel-intensive and complicated steering process according to the background art can be dispensed with. Hereby one advantage of the invention is that the problems in connection with the manual steering method never being able to fully synchronize thrust and to fully coordinate the steering commands which sometimes may counteract each other can be avoided.
In particular, all first signals representative of sideward (lateral) distances emanate from fixed unidirectional sensors, which brings the requirements for evaluation capacity of the control system involved to a minimum and enables calculation speed to be enhanced.
By using the set of first signals from the sideward distance sensors located at the side of the machine, on each “train unit”, these sensor data thus are useful for the control system to calculate an individual path for each self propelled train unit in order to make the machine move smoothly and automatically into the intended driving direction.
When each segment of a multi combination vehicle making up the mobile mining machine is equipped with at least one individual lateral sensor, and each of its individual segments are in the tunnel, this information can be used to steer the multi combination vehicle's individual units accordingly. The distance sensors located at the sides are then used for steering of the machine and its individual segments and thereby for avoiding collisions against tunnel walls.
Use of sensors on only one side of the vehicle makes it necessary to have tunnel width information in relation to machine width information obtained in advance.
It is preferred that a set of first signals are produced that are representative of sideward (lateral) distances between both sides of the mobile mining machine and the respective nearby wall of said tunnel. Then the tunnel width at a given point is easily calculated by both lateral distance sensor signal values plus the width of the machine between left and right side sideways sensors. Each measuring point plotted over the travel distance of the machine gives the tunnel width and the lateral orientation of this measuring point on the machine inside the tunnel.
In an always straight tunnel, only side wall distance sensing would be sufficient to let the machine move automatically. Since in practice, no such tunnels exist, the leading unit of the vehicle according to this aspect of the invention will have to be driven in a forward direction either manually or by another per se known control principle.
It is highly preferred that the inventive method also includes:                producing a set of second signals representative of distances from the mobile mining machine to a front wall region, to be approached during driving, through at least one fixed unidirectional distance sensor directed essentially in the direction of movement,        evaluating said set of second signals so as to determine a position of the mobile mining machine in respect of the tunnel front wall ahead and creating a virtual tunnel line based on the evaluation of said set of second signals during driving,        
Hereby it is possible to move and maneuver the inventive machine with automatic control mode in an unknown infrastructure even in narrow tunnels or galleries using relatively uncomplicated measures.
Looking ahead of the machine in the movement direction there is at least one fixed unidirectional distance sensor used to detect the free space ahead. When the machine approaches a curve, the sensor detects that the distance to the outer side of the curve decreases. In conjunction with the steering commands and the motion of the machine, a computer is enabled to calculate said virtual tunnel line from this information. This virtual tunnel line enables the computer control system to prepare related control actions.
This principle assumes, that all curves have been checked for clearance to tram the machine through the tunnel, so the control system principle is—like when a truck driver operates a truck-trailer vehicle—to drive as far to the outer side of the curve as possible and as required to prevent from collisions of a trailer on an inner side of the curve.
When, in operation, the multi combination vehicle approaches a curve, the distance sensor (−s) in front of the machine detects the tunnel wall at the outside of the curve at a distance. The system then produces said steering commands to be sent to a propulsion arrangement of the machine. For example, hereby the control system is arranged to steer the machine straight on until the front of the machine is positioned at a determined distance from the outer tunnel wall.
During this movement, a minimum clearance to the outer side of the curve is typically maintained so that the machine is able to swing out to the outer side when starting a curve steering phase. At this point, the sideward distance sensors have already detected a significant widening of the tunnel at the inner side of the curve. Now, the machine starts swinging into the curve preferably staying with a rear portion of each unit in the outer third of the curve sequence in order to allow centre portions of the trailing units to use the inner curve space for swinging.
Using the set of second signals from the forward distance sensor (−s) allows the control system to calculate the virtual tunnel wall line by chaining up distance measurement points along the moving path of the machine and to calculate the space in front of it and thereby to estimate an outer diameter of an approaching curve.
In addition to the sensor (−s) being directed in the forward direction, the distance sensors producing the set of first signals and being located at the sides can in particular be used for enhancing detecting of the inner curve start and diameter. These sensor data are also useful for following or rather adjusting steering to said virtual tunnel line.
It is preferred that the virtual tunnel line is created based on a combinatory evaluation of said set of second signals and said set of first signals for creating said virtual tunnel line during driving, using said sets of first and second signals for producing steering commands for maneuvering the mobile mining machine towards said virtual tunnel line.
Hereby the set of first signals are advantageously used for enhancing calculation of the virtual wall line together with the set of second signals.
The invention covers basically control of a “train” of interconnected crawler or wheel based train units, each one being equipped with an individual power unit. There may be support wheels present between the power units which are self powered or unpowered, steerable or non steerable.
Altogether, the inventive method does not call for expensive laser scanners and resulting sensor signal fusion methods as is the case in respect of WO0230792. Instead, the use of relatively simple fixed front sensors that detect the walls during the very driving process makes calculations more easily accomplished in real time without having to use excessive calculation requirements, since a much smaller amount of data has to be computed, which is a great advantage over the background art.
It is not excluded that the inventive method is used also to drive the machine along a virtual tunnel line being pre-stored in a memory and that tunnel data being obtained from the evaluation during maneuvering and driving is compared with the pre-stored virtual tunnel line data, even if such pre-stored data are not necessary. This makes it possible to further reduce calculation and increase precision in such situations.
As a virtual tunnel line, one virtual tunnel wall line related to one of the tunnel side walls can be used in many cases such as when the tunnel is very wide or tunnel width is known. Normally, however, it is advantageous to use data for both tunnel side walls.
It is preferred that the set of second signals is produced by at least one forward directed spot laser distance sensor being said at least one fixed unidirectional distance sensor since this has proved to give particularly reliable results. Preferably also, the sideward directed sensors are sideways directed unidirectional distance sensors, preferably spot laser distance sensors or ultrasonic sensors.
It is preferred that, in order to increase precision, during driving, said set of first signals are evaluated also for controlling and if necessary correcting each sensor emitting another set of signals.
For increase of safety, it is preferred that if the evaluation results in determining that the mobile mining machine will not maintain clearance to the tunnel walls, a stop command is issued.
According to a preferred aspect, a set of third signals representative of angles of articulation between each trailing unit and a respective preceding unit is produced, and said set of third signals are evaluated so as to enhance determination of the sideways position of the mobile mining machine in respect of the walls of said tunnel during driving.
For this purpose, preferably, all train units are equipped with angular sensors in order to determine the actual kinematics of the machine. Optional (hydraulic or electric) actuators can be used to help to keep a planned angle between units. As an example, there can be provided an on-board kinematics model covering the machine's static components and its propulsion units (crawlers or wheel assemblies). This model can be the basis for the control of the mobile mining machine.
Per se known control algorithms can be used in respect of a control method looking ahead. The on-board control procedure is arranged to determine the orientation and the position of propulsion units. The trailing units may each have a “look forward” algorithm in order to optimize steering of the units around curves.
Preferably, different conventional measures can be used to verify the data and to enhance accuracy. Support can be had by odometers on the train units. Such additional inputs are used to enhance the accuracy of the navigation algorithm and to correct drift for consistency checking and enhancing accuracy. In case reflectors are used as artificial landmarks behind the machine in the tunnel, these reflectors can be used by vehicle drivers as steering aids in case of manual steering.
Evaluation of the respective first, second and/or third signals as well as the producing of steering commands based respectively thereon is carried out in real-time during maneuvering the mobile mining machine. This is practically possible according to the invention without having to use excessive computer capacity.
In case rearward laser scanners are used in combination with reflector poles for subsequently going backwards, newly applied reflectors do not need to be positioned by mine surveyors. They can be set up in random positions having the laser scanner to automatically find the new position if at the same time a sufficient number of other reflectors are within range of the scanner. The known positions of the existing reflectors are used to find the position of the scanner (the joint “origin”). The new reflector is visible by the scanner giving it's angular and distance information. This information in relation to the positions of the landmarks already known is the position of the new reflector.
The invention also relates to a system for maneuvering a mobile mining machine two or more self steered and self propelled interconnected units being connected as train units over a respective articulating joint, said mobile mining machine having a forward direction, the system including:                first sensor means for producing a set of first signals representative of sideward distances between at least one side of the mobile mining machine and a respective nearby wall of said tunnel, and        first evaluation means for evaluating said set of first signals so as to determine a sideways position of the mobile mining machine in respect of walls of said tunnel during driving, and        means for producing steering commands and sending them to a propulsion arrangement of the mobile mining machine in order to maintain clearance to tunnel walls during driving.        
It is highly preferred that the inventive system further includes:                second sensor means being at least one fixed unidirectional distance sensor directed essentially in said forward direction for producing a set of second signals representative of distances from the mobile mining machine to a front wall region, to be approached during driving,        second evaluation means for evaluating said set of second signals so as to determine a position of the mobile mining machine in respect of tunnel wall ahead, and to create a virtual tunnel line during driving,said means for producing steering commands being arranged for maneuvering mobile mining machine towards said virtual tunnel line.        
Further inventive system features corresponding to the above method features are within the scope of the invention.